Dr. Samantha ‘Sam’ Smith and Luke Jansen have gotten under each other’s skins since they met 10 years ago on the Royal Australian Naval base. They never thought they’d see each other again until their love of sharks brought them back together, giving their competitive and stubborn natures another chance to clash.Sam, marine biologist and shark specialist, recently landed her dream job with the … with the aquatic research department at Miami University. When her mentor invites her on the expedition of a lifetime, she eagerly takes the bait. The goal: obtain coveted, groundbreaking footage of Great White sharks breeding.
Unbeknownst to Sam, her mentor has invited one of the best shark experts in the business as well — a certain Aussie diver too arrogant and sexy for his own good. Luke, different after a life-changing diving accident, is the last person she expected to see.
Sam and Luke’s competitive streak picks up right where it left off as Sam realizes Luke knows almost as much about sharks as she does, despite her eight years of education. When a deep sea dive goes awry, Sam has to rely on Luke’s experience, both with sharks and as a Navy Clearance Diver, to get her back on board alive and in one piece. To make matters worse, a reckless rival crew surfaces, determined to beat them to the punch. Amidst the adventure and exhilaration of the hunt, Sam and Luke ignite a passionate spark that they slowly realize may have been simmering all along. If they can make it through with the footage and their lives, they may just have a shot at Happily Ever After.
*The character of Luke Jansen inspired by Paul de Gelder (Discovery’s Shark Week) and his amazing story of survival and overcoming life’s obstacles.
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Okay, let me be upfront and admit I am a big fan of Shark Week on The Animal Planet so I was kind of tickled pink to see sharks featured front and center in this read. I also want to take this opportunity to just draw attention to a really important detail, Ms. Spade has a note listed at the end of her blurb, “A portion of all proceeds will be donated to shark and ocean conservation.” This is a lovely sentiment and a great reason to grab a copy of this book ASAP knowing your money is going to a great cause.
This story has so many things I love. First, it’s a second chance romance with a ten year gap in between the time Luke and Sam first met until they are reunited. Second, and most delicious of all, it’s an enemies to lovers/opposites attract trope. I might have fallen over in my seat when I realized the friction between them. I did love that the snark was never intentionally nasty.
Sam and Luke have fantastic banter, something that I adore, sniping constantly giving me some much needed chuckles.
However don’t take any of that to mean that this is a lighthearted tale. That could not be more inaccurate. There are some heart stopping moments where survival doesn’t look like a possibility.
I was really impressed with the author’s dedication to research which was very obvious in the facts relayed during the story, well threaded through the obvious romance center.
Even if you aren’t a fan of sharks (I’m a fan of Shark Week… a little anxious about the creatures themselves), I’d recommend grabbing a copy of The Other Tide for a tasty little romance with an intriguing nautical education seamlessly woven throughout.
This book was brilliant, a enemies to lovers trope. The hilarious banter between Sam & Luke makes this a heartwarmingly funny thoroughly enjoyable read! I’m a sucker for accents so given its Australia Vs America it was a battle of the pronunciations it was equally interesting learning facts about sharks i wouldnt normally of known since i have a fear of deep water and them lol. Another fantasic book by this author and look forward to many more
Holy heck! This was a freaking amazing read! It has absolutely everything you could want in an enemies-to-lovers story and if you’re a shark week fan, this is going to totally push you over the edge of fandom!
Ten years ago, Sam met Luke, a cocky, arrogant navy diver that rubbed her competitive nature in such a way she hasn’t been able to forget him. Just as she’s preparing to begin two years of research on the mating habits of the great white shark, she learns he will be along for the ride. Having earned her doctorate, her greatest dream is in reach and now Luke, with no college education at all, will be horning in on her adventure.
This was an amazing story of two people with completely different backgrounds, each desiring to educate the world about a species that is misunderstood, and who now have to set aside their differences in order to get the job done. Sam has her formal education, but Luke has a life changing experience that led to a decade of study. They each have something to offer but the issue is how to make the two mesh.
”Even on amiable terms, Luke and I were destined to be in an endless competition. It fueled us. I loved to be challenged, and he represented that mind, body, and soul because he challenged himself each and every day.”
I loved Sam and Luke’s dynamic. They were snarky with each other but never intentionally mean. The chemistry wafted from them with every interaction and it was just a matter of time before it absolutely ignited into something that would consume them both. Even while they had their competitions and disagreements, the steam sizzled below the surface. And once they let it loose it lived up to everything their previous interactions had promised.
We only get the hero’s point of view during the epilogue, and I’m a hero POV fan so I did miss that, but despite his competitive actions as well as his Aussie nudges towards the heroine, I was pretty confident how he felt.
This book has a lot of wonderful facts about sharks, research and diving but it never overshadowed the romance at the heart of the story and it never once bogged down. If anything, it actually made me more aware of a species that I’ve never taken the time to truly understand. I read this in one afternoon without skimming, loving every single word, action and outcome. It didn’t hurt that there was a lot of lighthearted moments here and secondary characters that added to the story rather than steal the show. There is just enough drama from outside forces to keep the “research” portion of the story interesting and moving forward.
Add in a great epilogue that gives us two different looks into the future and I’m overwhelmingly recommending this as a companion to your shark week enjoyment!
I loved this book. Enemies to lovers is one of my favorite and the way Carly tells the story was very unique. I can’t say I ever read about sharks, so I loved the fact that I got to learn so much from this. The chemistry between Sam and Luke was hot. i was waiting for that sizzling moment to go BOOM. And it didn’t disappoint. Can’t wait to see what Ms. Carly writes nex